


Single Dads

by TheChickenPit



Series: Single Dads [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: F/M, Fire fighter Ivan, M/M, Minor Injuries, Multi, Police Officer Alfred, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, They are single dads, slight gore, will add more tags later on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2020-12-17 13:51:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21055472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheChickenPit/pseuds/TheChickenPit
Summary: After an extremely nasty divorce with his ex wife, Alfred is left to take care of Amelia all alone. It doesn't help that trouble is brewing in his quiet town, tearing him between raising his daughter and attending to his duties as a police officer. Life seems to take a turn for the better when a strange man shows up a his door. However, life was never meant to be easy.





	1. Chapter 1

1

Alfred stood by the stove in his pyjamas, his trusty spatula in hand. Its edges are seared from years of use, the plastic deformed in some places, but still a good spatula none the less. He flips the animal shaped pancake, watching it brown with tired eyes. The chill of the morning bit at his feet, the cool floorboards like walking on ice in the morning without socks. His thin pyjamas did not help much either. A yawn pulled at his lips and he scratches his stomach, eyes watering behind his glasses.

Thumps from upstairs made Alfred look up, silently following the thumps to the stairs with his eyes. 

“Daddy!” his daughter shouts, her little body a pink blur as she noisily ran down the stairs.

She crashed into the back of his legs and almost knocks Alfred over. Alfred smiles down at her and crouches to her level, soothing down her bed head with his free hand.

“Morning Ladybug, what’s up?” Amelia stares at him with big blue eyes and a little pout on her chubby face,

“I can’t find my bow!” She cried.

Alfred gasped dramatically with exaggerated surprise, “Really?”

She nodded furiously, “yeah! The pink one.”

Alfred chuckled at his daughter’s comical distress at not being able to find her favourite bow. It had happened once before but today was her first day at school and ‘it’s important to wear all her lucky and special things.’ She huffed and tries her best to glare at her dad, stomping her little foot as hard as she could.

“Dad!” She whined, not happy that her father was not taking her seriously.

“Okay okay,” he ruffled her hair affectionately, combing his fingers through her messy golden bob.  
“Check around the couch, maybe it got swept under.”

Amelia’s eyes light up and she nods vigorously before dashing away to the living room in search of her precious bow. It was movie night yesterday when he had last seen it before he’d put her to bed. Alfred smiled fondly at her enthusiasm and stands up to resume with breakfast, pouring in the last of the batter and tossing the bowl into the sink.

“Found it!” she yelled from the living room, her butt in the air with her hand reaching under the couch.

Alfred yelled back that the pancakes were ready and almost a moment later, she appeared behind him with sparkling eyes and her bow in hand. He snorted and turned to set up the table with pancakes, a jug of orange juice, and a plate of toast and eggs. Amelia quickly scrambled to a chair, piling a lot of food to the five-year-old equivalent.

Alfred sat down with much less enthusiasm than his daughter with a mug of piping hot coffee, the kettle he’d been boiling whistled a little while ago, and picks out the remains of his daughters ravishing. Amelia tries to choke down her food and Alfred has to get her to calm down before she actually choked.

“But dad we need to hurry or we’ll be late!” was her response to her father’s questioning.

“We’re not going to be late pumpkin so just relax.” Alfred said after swallowing a forkful of food. Amelia suddenly froze and Alfred looked at her weirdly, “what?”

“Do you know what the time is!?” she cried.

Alfred looked at his watch; it was half seven. “Pumpkin we’re not going to be late; it only takes ten minutes to get to school.” 

Alfred said calmly, stuffing another fork of food into his mouth and a large gulp of steaming coffee that burned his throat on the way down. He suppressed the urge to cough, bringing his hand up to his mouth. Amelia whines but calmed down, eating slower but still chewing at the pace of a galloping horse.

She still finishes her food faster than Alfred and runs up to get dressed for her first day at school, leaving her father behind to do the washing up. Again. Alfred shook his head at her energy but scraped his plate clean before dumping it in the sink, deciding to do it later when he got back from work. He followed Amelia to her room and watched in silent pleasure from the doorway at his daughter’s internal struggle. She comically picked up random shirts, scrutinizing them with her bright baby blues before tossing them over her shoulder. 

She looked up and noticed him.

“Dad what do you think is better? This one,” she held up a plain bright pink t-shirt, “or this one?” in the other hand she held up a pale pink long sleeved t-shirt with a cartoon picture of a unicorn saying ‘feed me’.

“I want it to match the shorts I’m wearing now but I don’t know which one to wear because they both look so good!” she ended off with a high-pitched whine and Alfred tried his best to control his upcoming fit of laughter; and she was only five.

“Well I think you should wear the unicorn shirt, because wasn’t that the shirt Aunty Alice gave you for your birthday?” Alfred said professionally, a hand on his chin as he pretended to stroke the stubble he had not gotten around to shaving. Amelia’s blue eyes, much like his own, lit up with recognition.

“Oh yeah, I should defiantly wear this one!” She discarded her flamboyant eye sore and shimmied out of her Pyjama top to put on her unicorn shirt.

“Well hurry up and get your bag, I’ll meet you downstairs.”

She made no sound of acknowledgement when he walked off to take a quick shower but he knows she had heard her. A few minutes later Alfred came down in his smartly pressed uniform to Amelia waiting ‘patiently’ by the door for her father, her pink cowgirl boots clashing horribly with her yellow shorts. She had put her bow on by herself and Alfred felt a sense of pride wash over him.

“You ready to go ladybug?” She nods impatiently and Alfred laughed, “But first say ah.” She did as told and Alfred smelt her breath. “Okay we’re good to go.”

“Wait.” Amelia stopped him with her hand, “say ah.” Alfred leaned over and let Amelia smell his breath before straightening up after a satisfying nod. Smiling brightly she gazed up at him, “okay we can go!”

Alfred laughed and opened the door for her, “Ladies first.”

She strutted out, her vibrant pink Barbie pulley jolting behind her and her curls bouncing with a confident look on her face. Alfred locked the door behind them and helped Amelia into her car seat before starting down the road with Barbie Girl blasting on the radio, the both of them laughing as Alfred tried to mimic the singer’s voice.

“Daddy!” Amelia giggled openly, leaning forward as far as her seat belt would let her. “You can’t sing.”

Alfred looked at her over his shoulder, “Oh yeah?”

She nods, face flushed and teeth flashing in a toothy grin, “Yeah.”

Alfred grinned, “then I’ll just have to try harder then, won’t I?”

Amelia bursted out laughing as her father’s voice cracked at trying to hit a really high note but he carries on, basking in the pleasure of hearing his little girl laugh. Her energy full mirth and life that distracted him from reality and allowed him to be carefree, if only for a little while.

“Daddy.” She gasped out between her laughter, face cheerily red and stomach aching from her violent laughter.

Alfred failed to keep singing, Amelia’s laughter is too contagious and leaves the both of them close to tears. The Elementary building came into view, gaining their attention with its atrocious colour scheme. It reminded Alfred of a child’s art project; bright and colourful walls, oversized windows displaying the equally vibrant classrooms, a playground full of jungle gyms, play pits, sand pits, swings and slides.

Amelia looked on in awe eyes still watery from all the laughter at the large building in front of her and Alfred felt like he made the right choice sending her to Kindergarten. Now she could make friends with people the same age and not just hang with her dad the whole day because Alfred couldn’t bear to let her go; not after she got teased at her last school for liking superheroes and ‘boyish’ things. She did make a few friends like Madeline and Monica (Both French), the three of them getting up to who knows what behind their parents back.

The car park was small but Alfred gets around, navigating through the crowed space to find a decent spot. 

“Daddy?” Alfred looked to his daughter and saw uncertainty in her eyes. It startled him slightly but it wasn’t anything new.

“What’s up Pumpkin? Are you not feeling too good?”

Amelia’s eyes darted out the window before locking on to her father’s.

“Do you think the other kids will like me? I mean-I mean the other kids didn’t.”

Alfred smiled at her encouragingly, “I’m sure the kids here will love you. Whose smile lights up the room? And whose face is just so adorable I would just gobble it up?” Amelia smiled shyly, her eyes sparking and her posture already better.

“Mine.”

“That’s right pumpkin. Now go out there and get’em” Amelia giggled, saluting and laughing even harder when Alfred does it back.

“Yes daddy!” She unclipped her seat belt and hopped out the car, her bag hitting the ground a bit too hard for Alfred’s liking.

“Do you want me to come in with you?” 

Amelia looked at Alfred with a large grin, “No thank you daddy, I’m a big girl now.”

Alfred laughed at that and waved goodbye. Amelia waved back with such vigour that she almost falls over.  
Her pink bag and yellow shorts were all that he saw of her before he left, her tiny body crashing through the other kids to get inside, earning her a few disapproving stares from parents.

“She’ll be fine,” Alfred thought to himself as he drove to work, “the worst she can do is glitter bomb the whole classroom.” Alfred grimaced at a sudden thought.

“I hope.”

2

The drive to work was uneventful, the same boring same old routine that he has been doing since he first got the job with now a little detour to the Elementary school. It wasn’t far, the police station, but the roads were too plain, the buildings, plain. Alfred really needed to mix up his life. The building came into view and Alfred was reminded why he chose his job.

The building wasn’t grand or anything fancy, it was simple and unique but that was enough for Alfred. Everything in his life usually had to be thrilling or exciting or he wouldn’t be interested and his ‘Hero Complex’ drove him to search out things that were equally thrilling and active in helping people. Nevertheless, joining the police force let him do just that.

The building itself had large one-way windows with black frames, stone slates decorating the walls, giving it a more regal and authorative atmosphere. Green plants and palm trees grow in the flower beds just in front of the walls, yellow and pink flowers littering around their roots in richly dark soil. Those were new, the flowers, and a branch was broken on one of the trees. The station’s crest hung above the entrance, the golden double eagle representing justice and freedom.

Alfred felt a sense of pride and importance whenever he looked at the Station’s crest, he felt like he was actually doing something with his life. Before Amelia, he had no sense of purpose, his passion more of a job, but with her he felt like there was something to protect and his passion to protect was set aflame again.

Alfred parked his car in his VIP spot and stopped the engine. There were other cars in the area but other than that Alfred was pretty early, earlier than usual. He blamed it on the rush of making sure Amelia got to school on time. Making his way inside he picked at his watch, a natural tick he picked up over the years whenever he was thinking. People greeted him on his way to his office and he gave them a cheerful wave, switches on the coffee machine as he walks past.

Alfred stepped into his office and gets comfortable in his chair, swivelling around to face the four monitors on his desk, one of them being his work laptop, and booted up the CPU. He stared at the picture frames of Amelia and him on the desk and a warm feeling curled into his chest; she looked much younger, her hair longer and his sister Alice was with them in one of the photos. There was one of Amelia’s fourth birthday when Alice brought trick candles as a surprise and it caught the very moment Amelia’s eyes lit up in awe as the candle rekindled its flame.

The screens turned on and Alfred signed in on the main server on the middle monitor, all his files and documents open just as he left them last Friday before the end of his shift. He did a bit of work managing the information he started before when the light on the coffee machine flashes. He quickly poured himself a mug of black coffee, piling sugar into the dark liquid before going back to his work.

Alfred worked through the rest in the morning and is on his last assignment when the clock chimed one for lunch. He sat back with a huff, stacks of paper and thick files dominating the rest of his free desk space. With all the documents arranged, all he had left to do was hand them in to his boss. He left the stuffy office to the break lounge, nicking a sandwich from one of the complimentary tables before settling in to one of the armchairs.

“Hey Al,” A colleague of his, Carlos who was in charge of the traffic patrol, sat down on a stool right across from him, “you remember that jerk that came in a few weeks ago? The one that threatened to sue the station because we didn’t pull over the guy that jumped him in traffic.”

Alfred looked up from his lettuce and cucumber sandwich, “Yeah, what about him?”

Carlos seemed ready to burst out laughing but managed to get through a sentence, “He came in last week again threatening to sue us if we didn’t file a police report against another jumper and the boss just turned him around and kicked him out. The guy threw such a hissy fit after that.”

Alfred snorted, interest piqued.

“Is that all?”

“I have the security footage here.”

Alfred sat up at that, a grin on his face, “Let me see.” 

Carlos brought out his phone and moved to crouch next to Alfred. He played the video and Alfred almost starts laughing aloud. The face wasn’t very clear but everyone in the station could easily identify Thomas on camera running around the parking lot with a baseball bat from god knows where, swinging it around and bashing bushes and trees. Well at least it explained the wrecked parking lot. The video ended with Thomas swearing at the camera, flipping it off before throwing a rock causing the camera to crackle before dying.

“That guy’s messed up but it’s sure as hell funny when he’s pissed.” Alfred remarked face tinted red from laughing at the guy’s temper tantrum.

“Yeah,” Carlos pocketed his phone, “he’s lucky he’s so amusing to watch or chief would’ve charged him with vandalism of police property.”

They exchanged a few more words about how life is back at home and how their jobs were going when the clock strikes two for people to get back to work. Two on a Monday for Alfred meant patrol downtown, which, he remembered with a little regret, also meant Alfred couldn’t pick Amelia up from her first day at school. He’ll have to call Alice; he shudders at the thought.

Alfred quickly made another mug of coffee to go before heading out in his patrol car, customized specially for him as a gift for ten years of service. He picked the highroad, passing a small coffee shop he’d always liked to try; maybe he’ll take Amelia there one day. He made his way to his area for patrol, an area with low criminal activity. It was a boring job but someone had to do it, too bad he did it alone. Alfred goes past a library and suddenly remembers that he had to call his sister, quickly dialing her number all the while scanning the area to make sure there was no one around to call him out.

It rings once, twice. 

“Hello?” A very feminine voice speaks that’s distinctly Alice; Alfred could pin his sister’s voice even in a horde of squawking penguins-which Alfred thought was a decent comparison. 

“Hey Alice, I need you to do me a very big favour.”

There’s a pause. 

“Alfred?”

“Yeah?” She goes quiet for a few moments but Alfred knows better and held the phone a little way from his ear; the calm before the storm, a phrase that was the epitome of his sister.

“Alice?” Alfred tries once again before his ears nearly burst,

“Alfred! You bloody friking git! You ignore me for a whole year and you suddenly want a favour from me, out of the blue no less? You really are an idiot if you think that I will listen to you-“

He cuts his sister’s tantrum off, “Look, it’s for Amelia. I can’t pick her up today because I’m on patrol.”

She goes silent, better than her screaming in his ear. He usually had Mathew pick her up but he was in France on his honeymoon with his husband.

“Please, for Amelia?”

“Of course I will anything for that darling angel. When do you want me to pick her up?” Her whole demeanour changed when he mentioned his daughter; she has a soft spot for Amelia.

“Right now would be good, they break off at five past. Thank you for doing this Alice, I promise to make it up to you.”

Alice grumbled on the other end of the line, “You better” and Alfred just laughed at his sister’s mood swings.

“Thank you again sis.”

“Don’t mention it Al, besides, you are coming with me shopping on the weekend, I want to buy more clothes for Amelia.” She drags on talking about a ‘woman’s touch’ or something like that and Alfred has to say goodbye.

Alice fumbles in a “farewell” and “see you later” before the line goes dead and Alfred is left to himself again. Only three more hours, he reassured himself turning past an old deli. Just three more.

3

Amelia came to greet Alfred at the door, jumping on him and nearly knocking him over, 

“Welcome home Daddy!”

Alfred readjusted his hold on her, moving his laptop bag out the way to hold her against his hip, “Hello ladybug, how was your first day at school?”

She grinned up at him, reverting her attention away from his ‘shiny badge’ (quote on quote) to look at his face properly, 

“I met this girl in class, her name’s Anya and she super quiet but really cool!”

Amelia rambled off about her new friend when Alice walked out of the kitchen. She stared at him for a moment before sighing, her face breaking out into a gentle smile.

“So, you’ve finally decided to show up?”

Alfred laughed, cutting off Amelia who looked at him strangely,

“Hello sister, nice to see you stuck around.”

He hugged her with his free arm and Amelia, upset that now the attention wasn’t on her, reached out to Alice yelling,  
“Auntie!” 

The siblings broke apart with laughter and Alfred handed Amelia over to his sister, who gingerly took the little girl into her arms. Amelia giggled with delight and burrowed her face into Alice’s chest, earning an affectionate stare from the two adults.

”I wasn’t going to leave her home alone since I didn’t know what time you were coming back.”

Oh, that’s right; Alfred didn’t say that he was on patrol. Thank god she did stick around though, he thought.

“So I see you were making dinner? I thought we would just order take out or something.”

They moved into the kitchen and Alice flicked his nose, “I’m not letting you guys pig out on Chinese while I’m here.”

His sister’s cooking was debatable but left out that cheeky comment after considering that it was better to come home to a cooked meal than a rolling pin to the head. 

“So I made Irish stew, just how mom used to make it for us when we were younger.”

Alfred inspected the pot on the stove, seemed edible and it did smell just like mom’s cooking.

“Mmm, so you weren’t planning to poison me.”

Alice smacked his head hard at that. Alfred protected his head laughing, moving away from the stove and narrowly avoiding another swipe from his sister.

Alice scoffed, “Rude” and sat Amelia down on the counter. She stirred the pot a few times before turning the heat down a little,  
“Let it settle for a couple of minutes to thicken.”

Amelia leaned over to see into the pot and makes a face,

“Auntie, what are those orange things?”

Alfred almost shat his pants at the look his sister gave him, 

“Ladybug those are carrots.”

He tried to save himself from his sister’s wrath but his daughter’s next question shot relief though him as he saw an opportunity Amelia had opened for him. Amelia turned to look at him,

“What? They don’t look like carrots.”

Alfred laughed under his breath, even Alice’s glare eased up and Alfred could finally breathe, 

“They’re just cut up bug.”

Her mouth formed a silent ‘oh’ before turning back to watch the stew bubble. He silently thanked her for that even though she had trouble retaining information because of her age, she knew exactly what to say to get her daddy out of trouble when it came to his sister. He didn’t need Alice knowing that Amelia doesn’t know half the vegetables they ate when they were younger.

Alice served the stew with three bowls and dished some for Amelia and herself, leaving her brother to do it himself.

“Aw, no more big sister?” 

Alice gave him a look, “That was a long time ago.”

Alfred grinned and leaned forward, “But it was funny how you were so convinced that you were older than me, serving my food for me, doing my laundry and ‘helping’ me with my homework.”

Alice’s cheeks burnt and Alfred laughed when she kicked him under the table,

“Alright, alright I’ll stop little sister.” She kicked him again but harder this time,

“That would be the smart thing to do, brother.”

They continued to banter like this into the evening, providing great entertainment for their little audience at the table. When they got to washing the dishes, the siblings split the work but ended up getting into a water fight that left the both of them sopping wet and covered in bubbles.

In short, the dishes never got done. It was coming up seven when Amelia was ready to to bed, causing both adults to fuss over her; getting her into her pjs and teeth brushed and into Alfred’s bed since Alice was staying over and they needed a spare bed. At first Alfred offered his bed and that he would sleep with Amelia but Alice said that she preferred Amelia’s cloud of a bed to Alfred’s rock.

They spoke quietly in the hall just outside Alfred’s room, catching up and discussing their elder brother’s boyfriend. When they first met before the wedding Alfred was ready with the ‘hurt my brother I hurt you’ lecture, but what he didn’t know was that his brother was dating a behemoth of a man that made even Alfred look small.

They glared at each other, tested one another’s strength with a bone crushing hand shake and a ‘little’ shove here and there before Alfred decided to start lecturing the man. Matt was his name and had such a fierce resting bitch face that made Alfred really contemplate if slapping the guy was actually a good idea. He was honestly calm about the lecture and agreed politely, surprising Alfred and making him almost shit his pants when he heard his baritone voice. Shit, it was deep.

Anyway, Alice was more stubble in her ‘you hurt him I break you’ and Matt respected her without being condescending; which looked weird because she looked like a Chihuahua barking at a Great Dane crossed with a German Sheppard with Ridge back thrown into thrown mix.

Mathew was more than embarrassed with his younger siblings’ behaviour but Matt brushed it to the side, saying he was used to protective family members. When the couple left Alfred and Alice were left to discuss Matt, just like how they were now.

“I wonder if Mathew met the guy on his Mountie job; the guy’s a friggin bear!” 

“Hush Alfred, we need to be supportive and there is no reason to be rude.”

“I’m not being rude!”

They bickered for a while before turning in for the night, saying goodnight before parting ways to their respective beds, Amelia latching on to Alfred’s side as soon as he climbed in. Alfred stroked her hair gently as he lay in bed, thinking of how he was so lucky having such a loving and crazy family.

Amelia stirred but didn’t wake, leaving Alfred to his thoughts.

4

Friday was half day at the station for Alfred since he was second in command for their down town patrol team but it also meant Amelia and her new friend Anya would want to meet up for a play date. Alfred leaves the station early and roles into the car park, immediately he could see Amelia and next to her a girl he suspected was Anya.

Amelia decided to wear pink leggings and a pink Barbie shirt that day, her favourite pink cow girl boots and pink bow. She clashed horribly with the girl next to her who with a more subdued, almost grey pink coat with pompoms, light purple leggings and thick, fuzzy brown boots with flowers on the sides of her ankles. Her style of dress looked more eastern European, which probably explained why the child looked like she had a light sheen of snow glued to her face.

Amelia practically dragged the poor girl over to Alfred’s work car, Anya straining a smile at being pulled but let Amelia anyway.

“Hey bug, whose this?”

Amelia introduced her as Anya from Russia before Anya stepped in to introduce herself properly.

“I’m Anya Braginsky. I come from Moscow in Russia.” Anya’s accent wasn’t very clear and her English seemed limited but language barriers never deterred his daughter from making friends.

Alfred smiled, “Hello Anya, I’m Amelia’s father Alfred but you can can me Mr Jones if you want.” 

Anya smiles up at him and that’s when Alfred noticed that the girl’s eyes were purple. 

“Do your parents know you are here?”

Anya shakes her head, “Father is working. Told me to go home with Amelia and he would come pick me up.”

The girl defiantly didn’t speak like a five year old; he’d have to ask Amelia later what class Anya was in.

However it was strange that the little girl only mentioned her father; maybe her mom was just out of town? Alfred secured the girls into the back seat before driving off, Amelia chatting off Anya’s ear the whole way home; which was only ten minutes but still, the girl could talk a lot.

When they got home the trio were greeted by Alice’s cooking; scones with jam and butter. The girls loved Alice’s baking but Alfred’s taste buds knew better than to eat anything Alice made, especially her scones.

Alfred slumped down on the couch with a beer in hand, the sounds of the girls playing upstairs background noise as he focused half of his attention on the TV.

“Hey Al,” Alice came to sit down next to him. He spared her a glance.

“I was wondering about Anya. She has only mentioned her father coming over to pick her up but not once has she talked about her mother.”

Alfred took a swig of beer,

“Don’t worry about it Alice. Her mom’s probably just out of town.”

Alice looked at him, pursed her lips but said nothing.

Alfred tipped his head back and downs the remaining beer, burping lightly before standing up.

“I’m going to make lunch for the girls, okay? Can you go check up on them for me?”

Alice nodded and left up the stairs. Alfred prepared cold cuts for the girls, cutting them in to triangles for more bite sizable pieces.

A few seconds after he heard pair of footsteps thumping down the stairs, a pair of quieter ones following behind. Amelia came prancing into the room but now wearing a bright pink dress. Anya followed behind much slower but her eyes betrayed her excitement and joy with being with her friend, her lithe figure now adorned in one of Amelia’s purple princess dresses.  
They stole two sandwiches each, about to run off before Alfred called them back, 

“What do you two say?”

They spun around with a sandwich already hanging from Amelia’s lips, “Thank you” “Ftanth Ewe!” they said before running towards the stairs.

“Hey! No food in the-“ 

But it was already too late. The girls had run up back to Amelia’s room and Alfred thought that, just maybe, no he knew, his ‘no food in bedrooms’ rule inapplicable when Amelia has friends over.

Alfred smiled at the stairs where the girls had been two seconds ago and goes back to the living room. Alice wasn’t to be found. Maybe she was ‘powdering her nose’ or whatever ladies do in the bathroom. He changed the channel to the news and was suddenly unnerved. Thomas.

With his already vandalism streak with the police and narcissistic behaviour, he’s on camera leading an unsettling group of protesters against the station. They’re all just a bunch of narcissistic pricks, Alfred thought to himself. Carlos can handle them if they really need back up they can always call the state police. 

He turned the TV off, bored with the lack of interesting shows on a Friday afternoon. He suddenly remembered the book he started awhile ago, ‘Black Beauty’ was it? Well it wasn’t like he had anything better do; the dishes could always wait.  
He got off the couch and turned to the lonely bookshelf next the staircase. He ran his finger across the shelf, dust rubbing off on his finger with an unpleasant face.  
The bookshelf hadn’t been touched for weeks now that Amelia moved all her books to her room just because she saw a pretty pink bookshelf a meter high and decided in that moment that she needed it.

All of Alfred’s books were crammed into the six shelved case, old texts books from collage, poetry, a little bit of Shakespeare, romance novels, mystery and crime. He liked a bit of realism, like animals for example. Like when a war veterinarian is reunited with his dog, or a girl and a horse becoming the best of friends. You know, all the happy and nice stuff that just makes you feel giddy because it’s so touching and sweet and awfully inspiring.

He took the book he was looking for off the shelf, a few other books getting tugged along but Alfred paid no mind to their misplacement. He settled back onto the couch and flipped to the book mark, fidgeting a little to get comfortable. He spent a good hour or so on the book before passing out from exhaustion, his body not able to ignore its much needed rest. A good book and some relaxation always helped him get rid of the stress with a well deserved rest.

The sound of the doorbell ringing jerked Alfred awake, his book after sitting precariously on his chest for a while now sliding off onto the floor with a thump. He looked at the clock hanging on the wall; 5:32. Alfred groaned groggily, making a small confused noise when he felt the shift of fabric. 

He looked down to see that a blanket was thrown haphazardly across his body. The first thing that came to mind was Alice; but she was too much of a perfectionist to do such a sloppy job. The doorbell rang again startling Alfred for the second time.  
Alfred pushes himself weakly off the couch, his book disregarded on the floor as he made his way to the front door. Thinking it’s the mail man, he opened the door saying,

“What is it? I don’t remember ordering anything.”

But he was sadly mistaken.

“You are the Jones, right? Alfred Jones?” A voice that could almost rival Matt’s shook Alfred’s mind from its hazy state to the harsh reality, his eyes snapping open from being half mast, brain half asleep.

A man, a few centimetres taller than Matt, stood at the door. Alfred started from the bottom; big black boots, thick black trousers, an even thicker jacket tied to his waist and a white, plain shirt that was stretched taught around the man’s biceps. What caught Alfred’s attention as his eyes raked up the man’s body were the scars slashing the skin around his neck; small cuts and large gashes but oddly not unpleasant to look at.

“Um, how may I help you?”

Alfred looked up at the man’s face and almost took a step back but he stopped himself before he did. The man had a square jaw, much sharper than he’d ever seen, full cheeks, a large beak nose and intimidating, purple eyes. His hair was almost as white as the man’s skin.

“I'm Anya's father. I've come to pick her up”

He stated with a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, his whole face moving like ripples across his face. He was defiantly the most handsome, and emotionless, man Alfred had ever seen, not that he swung that way or anything. 

“Oh, well come right in then. Would like something to drink?”

Alfred moved to let the man in, the guy having to duck to avoid being smacked in the head by the doorway.

“Да that would nice.”

Alfred took that as a yes and led the man into this kitchen. Their house wasn’t big but it was decent and cosy to make for good living.

“What would you like? I’ve got coffee, tea, juice” he paused, “beer.”

The man shook his head, “Water is fine.”

Alfred showed him where he kept their glasses and informed him about the water jug they kept in the fridge. The man thanked him and Alfred turned to call for the girls when he stopped him.

“It is alright, I don’t plan on leaving soon. Let them play for a bit longer.”

Alfred gave the man a look but said nothing. The man continued, “It would be nice to learn about my daughter’s new friend and her parents.”

“Um, sure.” Alfred lead him to the sitting room and took his armchair. The man settled for the couch. “So what would you like to know?”

The man took a sip of water, “Tell me about your wife, where is she?” Alfred chuckled nervously and the man raised a pale eyebrow, eyes questioning but not wanting to press.

“Is that not a question to be asking?” Alfred waved him off,

“No its fine. We spent a few years together, she was happy and I was happy. But then it turned out, after we had Amelia, she had been cheating on me with several guys throughout the course of our marriage. I asked for honesty and loyalty and she dumped that all down the drain.

She became, I don’t know, just a real bitch after the divorce papers went through. She tried claiming custody of Amelia but the court saw her as unfit to look after her. So I got a lot of nasty letters after that and filed a restraining order against her to stop her from bothering me.”

Alfred rushed through it to avoid all those emotions of betrayal and pain, shrugging his shoulders to show that it didn’t affect him but his eyes watered little just remembering it. 

“I am sorry to hear that. You are single now, Да?”

Alfred nodded and quickly changed the subject, “So are you a fire fighter?”

The man looked down at his attire.

“Да, for six years.” The man stated slightly proudly, gesturing at his kit. 

“I was in a hurry to leave the station before the young ones exploded another cylinder. It’s a messy thing to clean up.”

Alfred laughs, “Oh man, that sounds better than at the station.”

The man’s eyes lit up but the light is gone as soon as it came, “You are in the police force?”

“Yup, leading second in command captain for our patrol and emergency responding agents.” Alfred said with a salute, jutting his chin out with a smile. He didn’t care if he acted like a child sometimes, it was a great stress reliever. The man didn’t seem to take it too well, arching a pale eyebrow at him.

“That sounds like an important position.”

Alfred’s eyes lit up,

“Oh yeah, I mean I’ve got a lot of paper work and shit but I’ve got my own patrol car so if you ever see a police car with blue and white strips you’ll know it’s me. I’m not that hard to miss.”

Alfred kept rambling about his job and funny stories he had to share about being on patrol and about how Thomas kept coming back and threatening to sue them. The man questioned about that but Alfred waved him off and kept rambling on until he realised something.

“Hey you know my name but I don’t know yours.”

The man looked up at him and smiled, a fake smile, and held out his hand.

“Ivan Braginsky, I come from St Petersburg in Russia.”

Alfred shook his hand, “Alfred Jones from Texas but I grew up in England for most of my high school year and you already knew my name.”

Ivan hums, “Why did you move to Arizona if Texas is the most interesting when it comes to their crime?”

Alfred shrugged, leaning back in the chair. 

“Change of scenery I guess. Why did you move to America?”

Ivan sat forward with his hands on his knees,

“Have you tried to fight a fire in Russia? Not the easiest thing to do when all your water gets frozen.” Alfred laughed while Ivan watched him with a slightly less stoic expression.

They’re interrupted by the pitter patter of little feet running down the stairs, and the girls, still in their princess dresses, come up to the two adults. Alfred was a bit annoyed that he couldn’t joke with Ivan while the kids where around but he couldn’t stay mad at their little faces for long.

“Daddy,” Amelia says climbing in to Alfred’s lap, “who’s that?” 

She huddles up close to him while Anya chooses to sit by her dad’s side instead.

“This is Anya’s Dad ladybug, are you going to introduce yourself?” Amelia turned to face Ivan, sitting up so that her hair was in Alfred’s face. 

“Hi! I’m Amelia and this is Daddy.”

She said turning and grabbing Alfred by his cheek. Ivan gazed at the little girl, his eyes twinkling.

“Hello Amelia, I’m Anya’s father Ivan. I have already met your father little one but its sweet of you to introduce me him to me, though I’m pretty sure your Dad doesn’t being grabbed like that.”

Alfred snorted quietly, prying Amelia’s little fingers off of his face.

“Oh, sorry daddy!”

She fretted over him, rubbing his cheek until it was red. He gently pushed her hand down and patted her head, 

“It’s alright pumpkin you didn’t hurt me.”

She pouted at him but returns to nuzzling into his chest, a habit she has seemed to pick up from Alice’s life time nuzzling.  
Alfred looked at the time, 

“Oh crap, it’s getting late.”

Ivan turned to the clock and Anya, for the first time Alfred had seen her, pouted.

“Father I don’t want to leave.” She spoke in Russian, leaving Alfred and Amelia in the dark. 

”We can’t stay tonight, I need to get you home and into bed early because you have ballet practice tomorrow.”

Anya’s pout only deepened. Ivan petted her head and muttered something else before turning to Alfred.

“We should get going. It was pleasant meeting you Alfred and we hope to see you two again.” 

Before they can even say goodbye, Ivan turned around stiffly and left with Anya following close behind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this seems a little rushed! This has been sitting in my files for the longest time and I've been itching it get it out. It hasn't been betaed or edited so please just point them out so that I can go in and correct it.

1

Amelia chucked her bag into her yellow cubby, bob bouncing with every step she took to her chair. She hummed a random tune under her breath as she sat down and opened her desk to get her books. Slamming it closed, she opened her literacy book with little consideration and started doodling in the margins. Her tongue peeked out in concentration as other students started to filter into the boisterously decorated classroom.

“Alright children, we’re going to start with a little warm-up exercise!” Amelia’s teacher, Mrs. Hues, exclaimed with her chubby hands clasped in front of her breasts. Her cherub face wrinkled with delight as she looked over all the face in the classroom, plump lips curled into a little smile.

Amelia looked up from her drawing and watched as Mrs. Hues started writing on the blackboard. She twirled her pencil in her fingers, sometimes nibbling on the end as it passed her lips, and squinted to see the board.

“So, for today, we will start by writing a list of all the things we love about our parents!”

There was a collective, excited mummer from around the room and Amelia bounced in her seat, ready to start writing. Mrs. Hues handed out a bunch of templates for them and Amelia quickly took her pencil to the paper. Yet, her hand stopped as quickly as it had started, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. The paper was split into two, one for ‘My Mom’ and one for ‘My Dad’ and decorated with a simple, black border.

She stared at the word ‘Mom’ on the paper and dug through her brain. She didn’t remember ever having a mom, she just assumed it was always her and her dad. She frowned but moved on to write for ‘My Dad’.

_My dad’s name is: Alfred_

_His job is: Police officer_

_I like my dad because: he likes to play with me_

_My dad likes me because: I’m his ladybug_

_His favourite food is: chinese noodles_

Amelia leaned back to examine her paper and nodded to herself, satisfied with her answers. She ran up to Mrs. Hues with her paper clutched in her small hand.

“Look look!” Amelia shoved the paper into Mrs. Hue’s stomach, shifting eagerly on her feet as she waited for praise. Mrs. Hue laughed at Amelia’s enthusiasm and gingerly took the crumpled paper from Amelia’s hands. She looked through it, scanning the paper, but her eyes stopped after a few seconds and she pursed her lips.

“Honey, why didn’t you fill the part in for your mom?” She asked softly so that the other kids wouldn’t overhear their conversation.

Amelia just shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t have one Mrs. Hue.”

It was said with such childlike innocence that Mrs. Hue raised a dainty eyebrow at Amelia.

“Oh, alright. Well, you’ve done good Amelia! And you’ve finished before everyone else so you get a sticker!”

Amelia gasped in surprise and nearly combusted with joy as Mrs. Hue stuck a smiley face to her shirt.

“Thank you!” Amelia shouted, jumping up and down in the spot with a megawatt grin.

“You’re welcome, honey.”

But it fell on deaf ears as Amelia ran back to her classmates to show off her smiley face sticker. A handful of children huddled around her to see her sticker, admiring it in awe with wide, excited eyes. But they became disinterested soon as Mrs. Hues announced their next task.

They scrambled to their seats and waited impatiently for Mrs. Hues to hand out plain sheets of paper.

“Now children, we are going to draw our families. You can use paint, pencils or crayons for this.” 

The rest of the morning went by in a flurry of paint splatters, rubber shavings, and broken crayons, leaving the kids exhausted and colourful by the end of it. In good time too.

Amelia finished off her drawing of her dad with stars and tons of glitter, tongue peeking out as she got up close to get the eyes right. Satisfied, she held up to the light, vibrating in her seat as the glitter reflected the light, face splitting grin plastered on her cheeks. A sudden yawn startled her, eyes watering.

“Attention please!”

The room full of paint smeared faces tiredly turned around.

“Once we have finished cleaning up it will be time for nap time!’ She exclaimed excitedly, clasping her hands in her lap as she bent over to deliver the good news.

Twenty sets of eyes widened in excitement and began a whirlwind of destructive cleaning, throwing stationary into pots and dunking scrap paper into bins. Amelia wasn’t an exception. She threw pink crayons-and orange because that was daddy’s favourite colour-into different pots, spilled slivery gold glitter all over the table in her haste to pack it in the bag and broke the tips of her pencils as she jammed them into the side pocket of her bag.

Too engrossed in their ‘cleaning’, the class failed to notice someone else come into the class, distracted by their work to pay attention to a young, athletic woman walk in. Amelia looked up in time to see Mrs. Hues and the lady exchange a few words. She cocked her head as Mrs. Hues’ face pinked but was quickly distracted by a rubber hitting her square on the cheek with a loud ‘thwap’. But before she could turn to glare at her attacker, Mrs. Hues loudly cleared her throat. Again, twenty heads turned around.

“Since we have finished cleaning, I would like to introduce you to Mrs. Higgins who will be joining us every day for naptime! She has brought us mats and comfy blankets to sleep with if you haven’t got your own.” She announced, gesturing to the two large bags behind Mrs. Higgins.

They class rushed to their feet but Mrs. Hues stopped them with an abrupt shout, “No running! You will come up one by one and each will get a blanket and mat, there are plenty to go around.”

Guiltily, they sulked back to their seats and waited to be called up. Amelia was first since she was the first on the register and picked up a pink mat and a bright, polka-dotted blanket to match. As they went up one by one, Mrs. Higgins cleared the room, stacking tables and chairs in the corners of the room and helped set up sleeping spots.

Once everyone had settled, the two teachers closed the blinds and the room plunged into darkness; a tiny fairy night light beside Mrs. Hues’ desk the only exception as it glowed a gentle pink.

***

The playground bustled with energy. Children fought over swings and slides, some played tag in one big group, while a few sat on the sidelines savouring their lunch snack. The sandpit was packed to the brim and Amelia couldn’t shove her way through even if she tried. She sat pouting on the sidelines, eating the ham sandwich her father had thrown together that morning in his rush to get to work.

It wasn’t like that all the time, it was only when work became stressful did he becomes distracted when it came to making her food. She didn’t mind though, it meant that daddy was fighting crime and working hard to keep the streets safe!

She took a large bite out of the corner, watching as older kids ran past her, kicking her feet on the large wooden bench. However, the peace didn’t last long.

“Hey girly, what you eating? Looks like rubbish to me!” Jasper, a boy a year older than her, strode up to her seat. She glared at his pudgy face, not appreciating the nasty grin he was giving her.

“What do you want?” She asked defiantly, kicking her legs with more vigour in hopes to scare him away.

“Nothing. I just wanted to do this!” He slapped her sandwich out of her hand, crackling as it landed in the dirt beneath the bench, ham flying everywhere.

Tears burned at the corners of her eyes but she refused to cry. “Leave me alone poopy head!” She shouted, throwing more insults only six years olds would take offense to. “Stinky pants! Shorty!”

Jasper pouted and flinched at her words but threw a few of his own words at her. “You know what, girly? You’re a bitch!”

The whole side of their playground went quiet, stunned into silence. Amelia sat stunned as well, surprised at the weird word that she had never heard before. Fortunately for her, one of the nearby teachers heard him and speed-walked in their direction.

“Jasper! Where did you learn that word?”

He flinched at her stern tone and whipped around to glare stubbornly at the teacher, all the other kids now noticing the commotion and drifting closer.

“What word? Bitch?” He repeated challengingly.

The teachers grabbed him by his upper arm and dragged back towards the school doors, “You are coming with me to the principal’s office right this instant and we are going to call your parents.”

Jasper, for all his bravado, stared to break down and cry, thrashing in the teacher’s hold. “No, you can’t make me!” He screamed, twisting and kicking to break free.

It was fruitless, however, as Amelia and the others watched as he was dragged screaming into the building, still stunned at the bad word. However, he was soon forgotten as they went back to playing and running around, Amelia’s sandwich laying abandoned under the bench as a bunch of kids dragged her into a game of tag.

“Are you okay?” One of the older kids, Kirsten? Asked as they took a quick break behind a couple of trees, out of breath and panting like dogs.

“Yes, thank you, he’s just annoying,” Amelia replied bitterly.

Kirsten laughed, “I hear you, boys are annoying and gross!”

Amelia agreed, giggling along with her new friend. However, their reprieve was short-lived as a short red-haired girl came barreling towards them. “I found you, I found you!”

They shrieked with laughter and dispersed, narrowly avoiding the grabby chubby fingers of their assailant.

Amelia finally managed to get away, ducking behind the benches in the eating area. However, the tail of a pink scarf caught her eye and she peaked over the table to see Anya seated a few benches over, picking through a purple lunch box.

Instantly filled with joy, Amelia bounded over to her friend, sliding into the seat opposite Anya. Startled, Anya jerked back, eyes wide with surprise, but calmed down when she saw it was just Amelia. “Ah, yes, hello?”

“Hiya!” Amelia shouted, buzzing with excitement at having found Anya. “Do you want to come and play tag with us?”

Anya grimaced into her tuna mayo sandwich, an uncomfortable look twisting her features. “Um, I do not think…….thank you.”

“Aw, come on! It’ll be fun.” Amelia teased, tugging on the older girl’s sleeve, giving her the biggest puppy dog eyes she could muster.

Anya sighed in defeat and put her sandwich down, snapping her lunch box closed. “Okay, fine, I will play……tag, with you.”

“Come on!” Amelia pulled her off the bench and dragged her towards the group. “Guys, can Anya play?” 

2

One o’clock and the two girls stood waiting by the benches in the car park, a few other kids seated around waiting for the same thing. A Security guard leaned up against the wall by the gate, watching over the kids and keeping an eye on any suspicious cars wanting entry.

Amelia sagged heavily against the tree, bag at her feet, while Anya stood right by the edge of the tarmac, posture straight. She played with an old rubber band she had collected from the sandpit, stretching it with her fingers and testing the elasticity of the dirty rubber. Eventually, she got bored and tucked it in her pocket.

“Argh, why can’t he get here faster?” She prayed it was her father picking her up this time and not her Aunt. As much as she liked her, she wanted to spend time with her dad.

Anya grunted acknowledgment but kept her eyes glued to the gates, body stiff and proper.

Amelia pouted at but let it go, opting to slide to the floor instead and play with the ants crawling on the pavement. A few minutes of silence later, a sleek Chevrolet rolled into the parking lot, stopping right by the girls.

Anya didn’t seem worried so Amelia felt no need to be wary of the foreign car. Especially when Anya’s father stepped out in his work uniform. She scrambled to her feet, crushing a few poor ants in the process, a large shit-eating grin splitting her face. “Mister Ivan, Mister Ivan!” She bounded over to him, stopping right by Anya’s side as her father walked up to them.

The large man glanced down at Amelia, purple eyes hard and stoic. Yet Amelia wasn’t deterred, flashing the same grin up at him. “How was your day Mister Ivan?” She beamed.

They stared at each other for a few seconds more, Anya climbing into the car behind them. Finally, Ivan arched a pale eyebrow at Amelia, lips twitching in what she assumed would be amusement.

“Hello? Mister Ivan-”

The sound of a car pulling in caught her attention and she turned just in time to see the familiar bonnet of her dad’s car. Ivan stared blankly at the new arrival, scoffed in distaste, and slid into the driver’s seat, shutting the door harshly.

“Hey ladybug, who was that?” Her dad asked as he pulled into the pickup zone, watching the other car drive off in haste.

“It was Mister Ivan! He was being a big meanie to me.” She pouted, crossing her pudgy arms across her chest.

Alfred whipped his head around, staring weirdly at his daughter. His eyes flickered over her face, narrowing questioningly, “and what did he do?”

“I said hi to him and he just ignored me!” She whined, clambering into her car seat in the back. She let him buckle her in, pout set firmly on her lips. “And then I asked him about his day and he ignored me again!” She cried, flailing her arms around and almost smacking Alfred in the face.

Her father just sighed and twisted back into his seat, “Well I think some people are just big grumps like that and Ivan is no exception.” He joked, driving out of the car park. “Next time you see him, tell him that your father would like it if he said hi to his daughter.” He met her eyes in the rear-view mirror. “Alright?”

Amelia puffed out her cheeks. “Fine.” She mumbled, playing with the belt strapped across her chest.

“Okay. I’m stopping by the supermarket; do you have anything you would like to eat tonight?” He caught her gaze in the rear-view mirror again, watching as she pressed a finger against her cheek in thought.

“Mmm, can we have pizza tonight?” She pleaded, putting on her best puppy dog eyes.

“No can-do bug, Aunt Alice is staying for the week and she’ll have my head if I come home with pizza.”

Amelia whined in protest, starting to bounce and fidget in her seat.

“Hey, none of that. Let’s make a deal, alright? We can get ice-cream from the shops and I’ll ask your Aunt if she can make your favourite chicken soup. Deal?”

She glared at him with a watery pout, chin tucked into her chest and arms crossed.

“Amy, do we have a deal?” Alfred asked once more, a little sterner than last time.

She continued to glare at him through the mirror but mumbled a quiet ‘fine’, huffing in her car seat. Her little fit was soon interrupted by a small, eye-watering yawn. She rubbed her eyes and Alfred cooed at her from the front.

“Awe, is someone sleepy? Do you get enough sleep during nap time?”

Amelia just glared at her father, her baby blues tired and annoyed.

“Obviously not,” Alfred muttered in amusement, casually turning at the intersection.

Soon, the car park came into view and Amelia watched out the window as people walked past. Her father rolled into an empty spot and, unbuckling herself, they got out the car. Amelia more or less climbed down and Alfred came round to hold her hand.

“Remember, always stick by my side and don’t go wandering off, alright?”

Amelia nodded and let herself get pulled along. Her father’s hand felt warm and rough in hers, a familiar comfort in the massive crowds of people. Alfred let go briefly to grab a shopping cart, a few others getting pulled along, and hoisted her into the seat of the cart.

“You can sleep here while I shop, okay ladybug?”

Though he needn’t say anything, Amelia already falling unconscious in the plastic chair.

***

By the time it was time for dinner, Amelia was still recovering from her much needed nap. She sat on the counter, legs swinging tiredly, while her father and aunt worked around her. Through unfocused, clouded eyes, she watched as her aunt cut up the vegetables and her father cook the chicken.

“You really shouldn’t let her eat so many sweets, its not good for her health.”

Amelia vaguely registered the high-pitched concern of her aunt, head still full of cotton that was slowly clearing.

“Yeah, but I got that healthy ice-cream this time,” Her father said as if that would make it better, “the one with the berries.”

A carrot flew through the air, hitting Alfred square in the forehead. Her father squawked indignantly while her aunt continued cutting and pretended that nothing happened.

“And you talk about _me_ being the bad influence?” He scoffed, “You’re such a hypocrite.”

Amelia giggled at their banter, loving the way they picked on each other. She wanted a sibling so she could do that too. The sudden realisation brought a frown to her face; she wanted a sibling. A sister, maybe? She doesn’t think that she would be able to cope with having a brother around. She stuck her tongue out at the thought. Urgh, yeah no.

“Hey Ame, what’re you thinking about in that head of yours.”

Amelia looked up to see her father standing in front of her, an unreadable expression on his face. And without hesitation, she raised the question on her mind. “Daddy, can I have a sister?”

Her father viably tensed, lips pulled back into a thin line. “Um, I don’t think so ladybug.”

“Oh,” Amelia said, deflating a little. Her previous excitement had disappeared just as quickly as it came. Alfred saw this and quickly tried to cheer her up.

“At least not for now. Okay, ladybug? Let me think about it.”

“Okay,” Amelia responded meekly, still not feeling better about not having a sister.

“So,” her aunt interjected, “how was your first day at school? Did anything interesting happen?”

Amelia suddenly sat up from her slouched position, eyes bright and full of excitement. And Alfred silently thanked his sister for changing the subject.

The rest of the evening past with Amelia passionately relaying her day; from her new teacher to Jasper and Anya to her dramatic reenactment of Ivan’s sour demeanor. Alfred and Alice listened to her tirade, pausing in between bites to provide commentary or the occasional shake of disapproval.

Amelia had picked her bowl clean when a yawn caught her by surprise. Her father cooed, which she responded to with a glare, and lifted her under her armpits.

“Come on, straight to bed. You’ve had a long day,” He held her against his broad chest, “you can take a bath tomorrow with me, okay?”

Amelia nodded and let her father take her upstairs, leaving Alice to clean up after them. Alfred pushed her bedroom door open with his foot and nudged the light switch with his elbow. Amelia’s ladybug light cast an orange glow over purple walls and an assortment of books and dolls. He pulled back her pink, polka-dotted sheets and lay her down. A smile tugged at his lips at the sight of her calm and sleepy face.

Amelia had already dozed off and went willingly, limp as he tucked her in and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Alfred stopped in the doorway, cast a worried glance at the sleeping lump on the bed, and flicked the light off.

**Author's Note:**

> I try my best to read all comments and reply as soon as possible~ They   
really mean a lot to me because it shows how much of an impact my writing has had on people and that they enjoyed it enough to say something.  
Criticism and suggestions are welcome as I am always looking to develop my writing`


End file.
